Novoland: Castle in the Sky 2 (2020)

It has long been prophesied that “when golden wings emerge, a queen appears.”

Return to the land of mythical winged creatures and magicians as Novoland: Castle in the Sky 2 九州·天空城2 continues the story of Feng Tianyi and Yi Fuling’s daughter, Feng Ruche, and Lanzhou’s greatest magician, Xue Jingkong.

When Feng Ruche was born, a drop of blood from Xue Jingkong was the only thing that could save her from a certain death orchestrated by the flower god. From that moment on, the fate of these two individuals will be bound together forevermore.

Years later, with the emperor dead, the country’s position of power currently hangs in uncertainty. Learning that the first half of the prophesy has been fulfilled when golden wings suddenly sprung forth from Ruche the day she turned eighteen, the various political factions vying for power are now in a race against time to secure emperor Feng Tianyi’s golden winged only daughter for political leverage. Will Xue Jingkong be able to help her once again? And will Ruche finally step into the role that she was destined for all along?

Castle in the Sky 2 stars Jeremy Jones Xu (Xu Zhengxi) as Xue Jingkong and Uvin Wang Yuwen as Feng Tianyi and Yi Fuling’s daughter, Feng Ruche. And don’t expect the original cast to return this season as this is a story very much focused on the next generation. The 34-episode series will also star Li Muchen, Dai Wenwen, Wang Ziqi and Chai Ge.

I have to say that while the drama feels like the lesser known and the lower budget cousin to Novoland:Eagle Flag and Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophesy, the visuals are actually looking quite good. The pastel tones too make the scenes look quite airy and “natural”, no doubt to highlight that this is castle in the sky. And while things will sooner or later take a darker turn with all the political scheming and jockeying for power, it doesn’t seem to appear the drama will take on a richer and much heavier tone as the GoT-esque Tribes and Empires did.